Surprises

Chapter 5 of Banished for Love

I trudge back up to my room in a state of annoyance. The moment I walk in, Jeremy crosses the room to me.

 

“How did you do that?” he asks in awe, stopping toe to toe in front of me.

 

“Do what?” I reply, confusion sweeping over me.

 

“Speak into my mind. I thought only guardian angels could do that.” His response makes me freeze.

 

“I… I don’t know. I mean I hadn’t realized I was doing it. I guess I was just thinking really hard at you,” I say, my head spinning. How had I done it? And how can I learn to control it?

 

“Let me try again.” I close my eyes in concentration and think to Jeremy, Can ya hear me now?

 

“Really?” Jeremy says with a “you must be joking” look on his face.

 

“So, you heard that, huh?” I say, grinning.

 

Jeremy shakes his head, then his face takes on a look of contemplation. “What would be helpful is if we could find another fallen angel. Someone who can tell us what to expect,” he muses. “My guess would be you’ll be able to sense other fallen angels the same way you could before you, uh, you know.” Jeremy shifts his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably.

 

“Got my wings painfully ripped from my body and plummeted toward the earth as an outcast with no sense of touch?” I offer bitterly. His eyes catch mine with a look of deep pity and understanding.

 

I sigh and close my eyes, tapping into the darker parts of myself. I reach out with my mind, the same way I would have done as an angel. Picture in X-Men when Professor X uses Cerebro, figures start popping up behind my eyelids, humans shown glowing blue, angels white, and fallen angels red. I focus on the area near where I am. I spot one blip of red aside from myself. As I focus in on her slight figure, my eyes flash open in recognition.

 

“No way,” I whisper in denial.

 

“What? What did you see?” Jeremy asks.

 

I gulp and give a bitter laugh that lacks humor. “There is one other fallen angel near us.”

 

“That’s great! Who is it?” Jeremy responds eagerly.

 

I shake my head. “No, not great. The only other fallen angel in the area is Brittney Cummings.”

 

“You’re kidding me, she’s a fallen angel? I mean, I guess it explains why she’s such a b***h, but seriously? She is a fallen angel?” Jeremy says, baffled.

 

“And obviously for a while considering how long you’ve known her. But she's not exactly my biggest fan. How am I supposed to convince her to help me?” I ask, much of the hope I had about learning the powers of the fallen diminishing.

 

“Well, maybe now that you two are in the same boat, she will be more inclined to help,” he says, not sounding like he believed it himself.

 

“Well, I guess it’s worth a shot. I’ll ask tomorrow at school.” I pause for a beat, his words finally registering on me.

 

“Hey! Are you insinuating that all fallen angels are b*****s?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips and scowling at him. He laughs and pulls me into a tight hug, seeming ecstatic that I sound more like my old self. After only a moment’s hesitation, I wrap my arms around him in return.